Doctors urge getting whooping cough shots

State public health officials are warning that whooping cough is on the rise this year and stress that vaccinations and early detection of the illness are key, especially for protection of babies and children.

California Department of Public Health officials announced on Friday that 1,711 cases of the illness also known as pertussis were reported statewide from January to April — more than triple the number of cases in the same period last year. The spread of the illness has led to 77 hospitalizations to date this year, mostly of children 3 months old or younger.

Two infants have died — the first deaths due to whooping cough in the state since 2010. One death was in Riverside, the other in Placer County.

Outbreaks of the illness have surfaced at elementary, middle and high schools throughout the state, with more than 90 percent of this year's reported cases surfacing in people younger than 18, according to state officials.

For example, at Morello Park Elementary School in Martinez, a 9-year old child was reported in April to have contracted the illness; since then, eight other cases have been reported at the school, county health officials said.

And in Contra Costa County, through mid-May, there have been at least 50 reported cases of whooping cough, compared to 67 reported cases during all of 2013, said Paul Leung, the county's immunization coordinator.

Also, four babies from Contra Costa have been hospitalized so far this year, matching the total for all of 2013.

Other Bay Area counties report similar increases. Alameda County has recorded 56 cases of whooping cough and seven outbreaks so far this year.

Last year's numbers haven't been finalized, but it appears Alameda County cases are up noticeably, said Erica Pan, the county's deputy health officer.

And in Santa Clara County, 82 pertussis cases have been reported to date. Seventy-two of those cases had been reported in the first four months of this year, compared to 43 reported cases over the first four months of 2013, said Sara Cody, the county's health officer.

Meanwhile, Solano has seen 19 reported cases so far this year, compared to 14 for all of last year. San Mateo County reported 17 pertussis cases through April, compared to 13 for all of last year.

Children and adults with whooping cough exhibit cold-like symptoms — runny nose, sneezing and a persistent cough or coughing fit, which can cause gagging, vomiting or sometimes a gasp that sounds like a "whoop," that can last up to 10 weeks. In fact, one of the illness's nicknames is the "100-day cough," because it's possible to struggle with coughing fits up to three months, Leung said.

In contrast to other Bay Area counties, San Joaquin's level of reported whooping cough cases has held steady, reporting 27 cases so far this year, only one more than over the same period last year, according to Krista Dommer, San Joaquin County's public health spokeswoman.

"Whooping cough tends to be cyclical, and we tend to see peaks every three to five years, and in California, the last peak was in 2010," Leung explained. That year, statewide there were 9,000 cases; there were nearly 200 in Contra Costa, nearly 400 in Alameda and nearly 400 in Santa Clara.

"So this is something that reflects the natural history of pertussis," Cody said. "We're seeing an increase already and we expect it to continue. And it really takes a whole community to protect infants and everyone getting vaccinated according to guidelines, especially pregnant women."

That's because the whooping cough is most dangerous for babies, Leung said: If babies, especially under 6 months of age, catch the illness, "they don't cough, but they stop breathing and turn blue" — and can die.

In fact, for newborn babies, it can be very serious — many babies worldwide die of pertussis, especially in areas where vaccinations are not available, said Michael Stacey, Solano County's chief medical officer and deputy health officer.

In households with a baby under a year old, it's important that all adults and children there be vaccinated for whooping cough, he said. In particular, pregnant women in their third trimester must get a pertussis booster shot, regardless of whether they've had pertussis before.

Anyone who's had a cough that has lasted at least two weeks — regardless of whether there is "whooping" — should get tested for pertussis, and be given the proper antibiotics if needed.

That will help to curb the spread of the disease, which is often mistaken for a regular cold. Untreated, patients with pertussis can be contagious as long as five weeks, Leung said.

"So if you start developing a cough that doesn't get better," go see a doctor and get tested for whooping cough, not just to ensure the health and safety of babies — but because "that can be a miserable thing at any age," he said.